You really shouldn’t be installing this Flash Player update – here’s why
If you were surprised to see a prompt for Flash Player update on your phone, thinking the poor thing died years ago – you’re right. It did die, and the “update” that’s been making rounds online is actually an attempt to get gullible people to install malware onto the endpoints.
Cybersecurity researchers from MalwareHunterTeam have spotted an SMS phishing campaign targeting Android users. In that campaign, the target would receive an SMS message saying that video upload that they initiated couldn’t be completed without an update to the Flash Player. The same SMS message also provides a link where the “update” ca be found.
However, instead of the actual update, the victims would download the FluBot malware – an Android banking trojan that steals login information by overlaying many global banks.
Downloading Android apps from trusted sources
Besides stealing the users’ online identity, FluBot also accesses the device’s contact list and sends out the same message to as many people as possible
It’s been exactly a year since Flash Player was pronounced dead and was no longer available for download. FluBot, on the other hand, gets regular updates. The most recent one, according to the report, was published “only a few days ago”.
In this version (5.2), the Domain Generation Algorithm (DGA) system generates many new Command and Control (C2) domains on the spot. That way, it is able to circumvent many security measures, such as the DNS blocklist. The newest version now uses 30 top-level domains, compared to three, used in previous versions.
All Android devices come with a simple security measure – they don’t allow any APKs to be installed from anywhere else but the Play Store. Users who decide to turn this feature off and wish to install APKs from elsewhere across the web, should make sure they’re downloading from trusted sources.
- You might also want to check out our list of the best firewalls right now
Via: BleepingComputer
Audio player loading… If you were surprised to see a prompt for Flash Player update on your phone, thinking the poor thing died years ago – you’re right. It did die, and the “update” that’s been making rounds online is actually an attempt to get gullible people to install malware…
Recent Posts
- Microsoft’s Surface AI event: news, rumors, and lots of Qualcomm laptops
- The Delta Emulator is changing its logo after Adobe threatened it
- This devious Wi-Fi security flaw could let hackers eavesdrop on your network with ease
- The Tom’s Guide Awards are coming soon – here’s how to submit your products
- New Galaxy Book4 Edge will come in two models sporting 3K displays and a new Qualcomm chipset
Archives
- May 2024
- April 2024
- March 2024
- February 2024
- January 2024
- December 2023
- November 2023
- October 2023
- September 2023
- August 2023
- July 2023
- June 2023
- May 2023
- April 2023
- March 2023
- February 2023
- January 2023
- December 2022
- November 2022
- October 2022
- September 2022
- August 2022
- July 2022
- June 2022
- May 2022
- April 2022
- March 2022
- February 2022
- January 2022
- December 2021
- November 2021
- October 2021
- September 2021
- August 2021
- July 2021
- June 2021
- May 2021
- April 2021
- March 2021
- February 2021
- January 2021
- December 2020
- November 2020
- October 2020
- September 2020
- August 2020
- July 2020
- June 2020
- May 2020
- April 2020
- March 2020
- February 2020
- January 2020
- December 2019
- November 2019
- December 2011